NOTES ON PEOPLE (01/17/99)

NOTES ON PEOPLE

Wins Emmy Award for technical advances

by Semen Markus

BRONXVILLE, N.Y. - Whether it be an old reel of the "Howdy Doody Show," top secret government battle footage, or an uncut version of the latest blockbuster "Titanic," film quality is the key to conveying a visual story. Now imagine that reel of film being submersed in water for a few years. How can it be restored?

You can ask Yar Mociuk, a recent Emmy Award winner honored by the National Academy of Arts and Sciences for Outstanding Achievement in Technical Advancement, Pioneering Development of Film Scratch Removal Systems for Telecines.

The awards ceremony was held October 12, 1998, at the Marriot Marquis Hotel in New York.

Born in Mylovania, Ukraine, he is a 43-year veteran of the U.S. film industry. Mr. Mociuk has worked with almost every motion picture company and television network, including Paramount Pictures, Miramax, Disney, MGM, Columbia and Warner Brothers, with recent work on the movies "Titanic," "Saving Private Ryan," "Meet Joe Black" and others.

In addition to working with new films, his experience encompasses restoring films for museums, various institutes and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that dates back to World War I. "If we can pull something back from the edge of extinction, that's where we get our gratification," said Mr. Mociuk, "Because when this stuff is gone, it's gone."

Mr. Mociuk is president and majority stock holder of Filmtreat International Corp. in Long Island City, N.Y. He holds a U.S. patent (No. 3,609,034) for "Method and Apparatus for Treating Motion Picture Films."

He also holds a Ph.D. in cinema arts and sciences. Dr. Mociuk is listed in numerous U.S. and international "Who's Who" and achievement biographes. He is a member of many professional and civic organizations, including the Ukrainian National Association (Branch 287).

Filmtreat International Corp. is the oldest motion picture film rejuvenation establishment in the world. The company has been in business for over 60 years. The reason for Filmtreat's long success is an innovative rejuvenation process as developed by the company over the years, and progressive ideas that keep pace with changing technology in the industry.

As the television and cable industry have grown, so has the opportunity for people to view more films and television from eras gone by.

A current project on which Mr. Mociuk is working is restoration of three years of the "Buick-Berle Show," staring Milton Berle, dating back to 1948. "Some films were taken during the actual performance, and truly are a national treasure," said Mr. Mociuk.

Restoration and rejuvenation may include films being washed or bathed in specialized chemicals, often using electronic sound restoration; this process can take from one week to over a year, depending on the quality of the film.

"You can't go to school for this kind of thing, it was all self-taught," said Mr. Mociuk. "We started cleaning film with everything from polish remover to soap detergent." Film restoration is a team project and that's the secret to its success.

Mr. Mociuk and his wife, Irene, reside in Bronxville, N.Y., and they have two daughters, Daria and Natalia.

Earns chemistry Ph.D., climbs peak in Nepal

IRVINE, Calif. - Markian Myroslaw Peter Stec received a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of California at Irvine on August 7, 1998.

Dr. Stec's field of expertise is synthetic organic chemistry. His dissertation on "The Stereoselective Synthesis of the Taxane Ring System Utilizing the Type 2 Intramolecular Diels-Alder Reaction and the Synthesis of 1, 3-Butadienes from Bromocyclopropanesp" will contribute to the synthesis of anti-cancer drug analogs.

Dr. Stec was born and raised in Minnesota, the son of Maria and Myroslaw Stec and brother of Daria, Alexandra and Adrian. He was active in St. Constantine Ukrainian Catholic Church, Plast and the Zahrava Ukrainian Folk Dance Ensemble. After graduating from Breck School in 1987, where he played varsity soccer, he received a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1991.

While working on his doctorate in California, Dr. Stec and his wife, Amy, became avid mountaineers and rock climbers. During their six years on the West Coast they summited several glaciated peaks in the Pacific Northwest, including Mt. Rainier (14,410 feet) and Mount Baker (10,778 feet).

In March 1998 they completed a monthlong trek in Nepal, during which they climbed to the base camp of Mount Everest (17,490 feet) and summited the 18,192-foot peak Kala Pattar.

Dr. Stec and his wife reside in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he is a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan. Dr. Stec is a member of UNA Branch 385.

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